Knowing the starting QB early makes job easier for Bill O'Brien

Knowing the starting QB early makes job easier for Bill O'Brien

Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien will roll out a fifth different starting quarterback Opening Day, but this fifth one brings stability.

Deshaun Watson didn’t flash promise in 2017. He illuminated a city for a seven-game stretch to start the season that gave fans confidence in the future at quarterback. The stability in his rookie season also gave the coaching staff confidence he has the position locked down. The certainty that quarterback is settled is a feeling O’Brien has rarely had in Houston since 2014, and it helps him and the offensive staff get ahead of schedule.

“You know how the reps are going to be divided,” O’Brien said Wednesday during mini-camp. “You’ve already had a year in the meeting room and more than that, really, because you’ve had a year and then the nine-week off-season program. So, you’ve had a lot of time.”

Watson and the coaching staff haven’t had to waste time “getting to know each other,” according to O’Brien. Instead, the staff and field general are aware of the team’s expectations and how to proceed.

The 12th overall pick from Clemson in last year’s draft threw 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions in seven games played with a 3-3 mark as a starter. His passer rating at 103.0 was a single-season best among any Texans quarterback in franchise history with a minimum of five starts. If not for Watson tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in practice ahead of a Week 9 showdown with the Indianapolis Colts, it is unlikely Tom Savage would have returned to the lineup, let alone T.J. Yates.

“This year, we know who are starting quarterback is and obviously we’re very comfortable with that,” said O’Brien. “That’s a good thing for our football team. Obviously, all that means is that we’re settled there.”

The first time starting quarterback was settled for the Texans was in 2016 when they signed Brock Osweiler to a four-year contract worth $72 million. Osweiler led the Texans to an 8-6 record and an AFC South title, the second straight one of the O’Brien era. However, Houston dealt Osweiler to the Browns in the 2017 off-season, hurling the Texans back into quarterback ambiguity throughout the off-season. Though they drafted Watson, Savage took most of the first-team reps in the off-season and training camp.

But every year is different, according to O’Brien.

Said O’Brien: “It doesn’t mean anything relative to last year. It just means, ‘Hey, look, we have to come in ready to go in training camp and we’ve got to continue where we left off from when [Watson] was the quarterback.’ That’s kind of what it means relative to that position.”

Watson and the Texans hope to pick up where they left off Sept. 9 at the New England Patriots.

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